Buyers Tips

Buying a home in today's real estate market is much more complicated than it was just one year ago. With the housing market mess and financial institution's closing their doors or tightening their loan requirements, it is in a buyer's best interests to find a knowledgeable Realtor to assist them in their quest for finding the perfect "dream property".

Whether you are a veteran buyer or making your first real estate purchase, you will want someone with the experience to guide you through this emotional time, and at Real Estate Associates, Karen will make your home purchase as smooth and stress free as possible.

Karen has excellent qualifications, and she excels in guiding her clients through the day to day process of their purchase. Karen will start on the first day by having you prequalified for a loan, so you will know what amount you can finance.

She listens to your needs and looks for properties to fit them. Once she finds the perfect property, she will provide you with recent comparable property sales, to help you determine a fair and competitive first offer amount. Karen will then write your offer and negotiate the best price and terms on your behalf.

Once you have an accepted offer, Karen will assist by helping you shop for the best lender and loan terms to suit your needs, coordinate scheduling inspections, finding an insurance company, and dealing with the title company as well as many other small details which will ensure a smooth transaction.

Karen Raminha is dedicated to earning her clients trust, confidence and loyalty.

DID YOU KNOW

NOT ALL REAL ESTATE COMPANIES OR BROKERS (AGENTS) ARE THE SAME, NOR DO THEY OFFER THE SAME SERVICES?
NOT ALL BROKERS ARE REALTORS?

As a prerequisite to selling real estate a person must be licensed in the state in which they work. To do so they must meet minimum requirements of education, examinations and experience which is determined by each state.

Once they receive their license to practice, they go on to join a real estate office, (brokerage) then, their local real estate board, and if available the local MLS. (Multiple listing service) If their company is a "REALTOR" office, they will join their state association, Oregon Association of Realtors, (OAR), and National Association of Realtors. (NAP) Then they can be referred to as a "REALTOR".

A real estate professional who is a member of NAR must adhere to a very strict code of ethics. OAR, and the local board of realtors also have strict rules and regulations as does the MLS_
Working with a "REALTOR" who is a member of the local MLS will give you, the buyer, and access to the greatest number of properties for sale in an area. REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATES and KAREN RAMINHA is a member of RMLS which is our local MLS service, which means we can provide you with not only information on properties listed locally, but in other nearby communities, across Oregon, and even into some nearby states.

IMPORTANT FACT: You have the capability to sign on at this web site which will notify you immediately of any new properties on the MLS which meet your requirements. This is an important feature which will potentially give you a jump on other buyers.

REAL ESTATE ASSOCIATES and KAREN RAMINHA are:

Members of Wallowa County Board of Realtors
RMLS-Multiple listing service. A cooperative information network of "REALTORS" that provide descriptions of most of the properties for sale in our area.
OAR-Oregon Association of Realtors.
NAR-National Association of Realtors.
REALTORS OBLIGATION TO THE BUYER
Your "REALTOR" is bound by certain obligations to you the client, and is required by Oregon law to provide you with the Agency pamphlet and disclosure forms included here.
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR REALTOR

• ARE YOU A REALTOR?
• IS YOUR REAL ESTATE LICENSE ACTIVE AND IN GOOD STANDING? (You can verify this online- www.oregonrealestateagency.
• DOES YOUR COMPANY BELONG TO YOUR LOCAL BOARD, MLS, OAR AND NAR?
• ASK YOUR "REALTOR" TO EXPLAIN THE AGENCY FORMS INCLUDED HERE AND HOW IT EFFECTS YOU.
• IS REAL ESTATE THE BROKERS FULL- TIME CAREER?
• WHAT REAL ESTATE DESIGNATIONS DOES YOUR BROKER HOLD?

This will show their dedication and level of training they have completed.)

• HOW DOES THE BROKER DIFFER FROM OTHER "REALTORS" AND
• WHAT WILL THEY DO TO HELP YOU ACCOMPLISH YOUR GOALS?

MORE HELPFUL TIPS

• Take some time to familiarize yourself with the area Wallowa County has several diverse communities as well as an unusual array of topographical differences. You may prefer rustic yet trendy Joseph, Oregon near Wallowa Lake, or our county seat, Enterprise. Or you could go for a small remote community like Flora, Troy or Imnaha. Many buyers prefer small rural acreages within a few miles of town and some would rather be on the side of one of our beautiful snowcapped mountains.
• You'll probably make your decision based on whether you will have a job you have to drive to every day in town, or are you retired and want to have a totally secluded and private get away. Your "REALTOR" will be able to give you helpful hints based on what information you supply them with.

YOU'VE DECIDED TO MAKE AN OFFER

Important questions to ask:

• Ask to see the Seller's Property Disclosure. (It's required by law) • Ask for a home inspection_
• How long has the property been on the market? (Seller motivation) ® What improvements have the seller's made?
• Ask your "REALTOR" to provide you with a market analysis to help you determine a fair and competitive first offer.
• Ask your "REALTOR" for a buyer's net sheet. (Based on the price they are offering, what will there closing costs be?)

You have already started the process by spending time on our website. With the help of the internet, you can do a great deal of research online and I hope my website will be a big help in this area., with information from everything from schools, history, and services to weather.

Eventually, however, there is no substitute for visiting Joseph, Oregon and beautiful Wallowa County in person, and I’m looking forward to providing you with all of the  information you need to choose the neighborhood you want to live in.

EXCLUSIVE BUYERS AGENT REPRESENTATION

In Oregon, a buyer may hire a Realtor to represent their interests only, and not the interests of the seller.

The buyer hires the Broker, and agrees on the amount of compensation that will be paid to the Broker. The Buyer may agree to a non-refundable retainer fee, which would be credited towards the commission earned, if any.

The Broker shall use their best efforts to locate the type of property desired by the buyer, if the property is acceptable to the buyer, the Broker will write and negotiate an offer in the buyers behalf. This is an excellent way to assure that you have total representation by your Broker.